App fails safety test

Although the Mumbai police have taken the initiative to protect women by introducing an Android phone application named In Case of Emergency (ICE), they don’t seem to have put much thought into its practicality as many can’t afford to buy it.

The ICE application, which was launched on Saturday, the first day of the Cyber Safety Week, is supposed to allow a person in distress to send out immediate text alerts to contacts saved on the application free of cost.

Surprisingly, even though the application can easily be downloaded from the Mumbai police website, www.mumbaipolice.org, it is not supported on Android phones, for which it was made.
When asked about the failure of the application, Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime), said, “I will surely look into the matter and find out why the application is not supported on Android phones. We will solve the problem soon.”

Also, the police have failed to take into account the fact that not many women can even afford simple mobile phones, leave aside the higher-priced Android smartphones.

Not only this, you will also need internet connectivity on your phone to be able to download and access the application.

Roy agreed and said, “We have taken an initiative, and will work out something for those women who cannot afford a phone.”

Even if you manage to solve these issues, there is another problem. If you’re stranded in an area where there is no network coverage, the application becomes useless.

Also when in distress, how often do we get time to take the phone out of our bag, unlock it and open an application to let people know we are in trouble?